“Me, too.” Tasha gazed into his eyes. “This vacation is turning into so much more than I imagined.”
He squeezed her hand. “All good, I hope.”
“The very best.” She meant every word. “I’m having more fun with the ice show than I thought I would, too.”
“Do you miss skating?”
“I skate every day. Sometimes more than once.”
“I meant performing.”
They’d already discussed competing and performing was different. “Sometimes. I loved the feeling when you know you’ve skated your best. People are on their feet cheering and clapping. Not because you’ll score high for your country, but because they enjoyed what you just did for them. But…”
He leaned forward. “What?”
“My family wants me to skate again. Not Alek, unless I want to, which I don’t. But my mom and dad…”
“Why don’t you?”
“I skated pairs for a while. It wasn’t the best partnership, either on or off the ice. It went downhill from there. I decided to skate on my own, but that worked out better for me. I didn’t have to listen to someone blame me for making mistakes if we didn’t do well. It was all on me. I preferred that.”
“I’ll be fully transparent and tell you I watched your routines at the Winter Games and Worlds. You’re so talented. Why did you retire?”
“Skating lost its luster. But I do enjoy choreography and working on the show with you, so maybe I’ll look into doing more of that.” As long as Drew didn’t mess it up again.
Elias sipped his water. “Depending on how the show goes, I might remind you of saying that. If the town wants a repeat next year.”
Tasha laughed. “Who wouldn’t want to spend another Christmas in BerrLake? Though who knows where I’ll be next year?
His gaze locked on hers. “Where do you want to be?
The answer hit fast and hard with a clarity she’d never experienced before. “Home.”
Wherever that turned out to be.
* * *
Another week of practices and spending time with Elias flew by. She really liked him, and that scared her a little. Not as much as at first because he lived her and she lived… Well, that was what she was trying to figure out.
The ice show was coming together, and ticket sales seemed brisk. A good thing because no one Tasha had reached out to a few skaters she still had contact info for, but no one was able to come at this short notice.
A text notification buzzed on her cell phone. She glanced at the screen.
Mom:What time will you be in Seattle on the 24th?
Tasha groaned. Mom had been sending texts for the past week, but more of the are you enjoying yourself or hope you’re having fun type sentiments. But this…
Tasha typed on the screen.
Tasha:I’m spending Christmas in Berry Lake.
Tasha:You and Dad will have a great time at Alek’s. I sent presents for you to his apartment. It’ll be like I’m there.
Mom:But you won’t be there. I can’t believe you won’t come home. Is this about the rink?
Tasha hesitated. Dare she be truthful? She thought about Elias finally telling his dad about hiring more help. Maybe she should do the same. She typed on the screen.
Tasha:Partly. I lost my job, so I need to figure out what to do.
